
Member Reviews

I was excited to read a different kind of book than I’m used to from Lisa Jewell and it did not disappoint. She nailed Jessica’s rough around the edges personality perfectly. The investigation/plot part of the book was great, it had a lot of different parts to it but wasn’t confusing. Gave off the Marvel vibe for sure. I also really liked that it touched on some personal things Jessica had been through and was dealing with. Definitely would recommend ! I’m hoping she writes some more about Jessica and adds more of the other Marvel characters we all love. Thank you for letting me read this ! Finished it in two days !

I’m not the biggest marvel fan but found myself enjoying this still! Was an enjoyable and fun read. The flashbacks were a little confusing for me at first but it all came together at the end.

I finished this book yesterday and had to sit with my thoughts before writing an "official" review. To start with, I am not a superhero/crime fighting comic fan. The reason I gave Breaking the Dark a chance was because I am a huge Lisa Jewell fan. Like every one of her books is an instant read for me.
I am going to say, since I know little about the Marvel universe, particularly the Jessica Jones character, I am not going to rate the book on that aspect of the story. I don't think I would be a fair judge of Jewell's portrayal of Jessica Jones considering I am not familiar with the character. That being said, I do think Jewell did a good job of walking the line between a thriller and the "action-hero" we think of in relation to Marvel. The premise of this novel was intriguing (hence why I even read) and I found myself wanting to see how it all resolved. While not a standard Jewell thriller, I think there are still nuggets of mystery that kept me wanting more.
All that being said, I still don't think I was the right audience for this book. Honestly, I am not sure who the audience is or why this Marvel-thriller series is being developed - is there a demand? Overall, I don't think I will continue the series because I do not feel a connection to the characters and the ambiguity of the origin on these superhero powers.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Jessica Jones is a retired super hero turned private investigator hired to solve an interesting mystery regarding twins who have turned into completely different people post summer trip to the UK. Jessica Jones takes a trip to the UK and learns a lot about the current situation of the twins tying into some old history regarding a girl named Belle.
This book was a bit slow and not super twisty like Lisa Jewells usual books, but I did enjoy it nonetheless. I enjoyed the supernatural part of it even though I don’t gravitate toward books with this aspect. I appreciated the dual point of view, the story telling from the past, and how everything came together in the end. It was a pleasant adventurous read, and I always enjoy Lisa Jewell’s writing style.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is such a fun book for any Marvel fan. Lisa Jewell's books are always attention grabbing and fast and this one was no different.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for a review.
Lisa Jewell is one of my favorite authors. I didn't realize this was a Marvel Crime Novel before I read it. I'm not a huge Marvel person so I was a little nervous about how I would like it. I can say though that I really liked this book. The story was different from anything I've read before. It makes you think that with the way AI and the world is, something like this could happen. Maybe not as extreme but in a way. I loved that I still got the Lisa Jewell that I love with reading her other books. I would definitely read other Marvel Crime Novels and can hopefully see where Jessica Jones goes next.

I picked this book up because I've enjoyed previous Lisa Jewell books that I have read, I love Marvel, and I've watched Jessica Jones' show/spin offs. However, I think that love tainted my enjoyment of the book.
As I was reading, I could definitely hear Jessica's voice as the TV voice. It felt like her. but then they added the pregnancy and I was a bit checked out.. not my favourite trope and I honestly don't think I was reading for character development, but more so for the adventure and powers as I know it.
Jessica in the book was really just a detective and featured some characters from the show/comics including Malcom, Luke Cage, Madame Web and Danny Rand. I feel like the story would have done well on it's own without the Marvel references, and I would have enjoyed it better as a mystery. I did enjoy the mystery aspect of it and the AI/Quantum Physics. I am giving this 3 stars because it was good.
Thank you Hyperion Avenue for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

In BRAKING THE DARK, Lisa Jewell takes on Marvel's Jessica Jones, a retired superhero who is now a Private Investigator. Her next case is a distraught mother who is concerned about her twin teenage kids who came back from a summer trip with their fathers in the UK, a trip that was supposed to be a fun and carefree vacation, but now seems to have had a darker undertone. The kids are now acting very weird. Please find out what happened.
Even though the beginning felt a bit slow and sluggish, I was interested from the beginning, and halfway through the story, the pace picked up. The premise was really good, and the characters were interesting. I liked the multiple timelines and POVs, and as the timeline gets closer to the present, the suspense picks up as well.
For those who are fans of Marvel and Lisa Jewell, this book is a must-read. It offers a unique blend of superhero action and the gripping storytelling that Jewell is known for. If you're a fan of superheroes, this book is definitely worth your time.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for providing me with this ARC. And, of course, to Lisa Jewell for yet another captivating read. I can't help but wonder, could there be more to come?

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy. Unfortunately I DNF this book. I tried a few times and could not connect with the characters. I was hoping to read more and change my mind, but I just couldn’t continue.
Thank you again for the chance!

✨ 3 Stars ✨
Lisa Jewell takes on Jessica Jones' story in this Marvel thriller novel.
Full disclosure, I am not really a marvel girl, but I fully am a Lisa Jewell fan. Jessica Jones is broke, single?? and potentially pregnant, when Amber Randell comes to her with troubling information about her kids following a visit to the UK in the summer. Jones then follows the eerie and dark story that follows a woman named Ophelia starting in the 90's.
This one was wild, dark, and intense. Rating 3 stars because I didn't really know much about the Marvel verse, and I do think some of Jewell's other books have had me more in a chokehold.
Thank you Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for the eARC ✨

Watched all the marvel movies and was excited to read about them! Book caught my attention within the first couple pages! Excited to read more about this author and see how these characters develop!

Breaking the Dark by Lisa Jewell
Jessica Jones, a retired superhero turned private investigator, prefers to keep her distance from the world of capes and crime-fighting. When a distressed mother, Amber Randall, seeks her help, Jessica is drawn into a chilling case. Amber believes her teenage twins have been replaced by something inhuman after visiting their father in the UK. The once-imperfect kids now appear flawless and obsessed with a mysterious girl named Belle.
I wanted to get into this book because the description and the cover drew me in, but I just could not do it. I feel like the writing was a little choppy (and I love Lisa Jewell books) and the story was not written well. I DNF'd it at about 30%. This may be some one else's cup of tea, but it was not mine.

As a Marvel fan AND a Lisa Jewell fan this one seemed like a no-brainer for me. It's definitely a bit different from Jewell's normal writing style but she mingles hard-boiled crime style with thriller very nicely.
I loved the Nextflix Jessica Jones series and jumped at the chance to read more of her adventures. This one takes her quite literally out of Jessica's comfort zone, the un-aptly named Hell's Kitchen, New York and sends her like a fish out of water into the upper crust of English affluence.
I thought the premise was really good, I was interested right off the bat in this mystery that Jessica has to unravel., and I hope that Jewel will revisit our reluctant superhero again.

I was able to read Breaking the Dark as an ARC thanks to Netgally. Honestly, I did not pay attention to the fact that this was a Marvel backstory ahead of time, which had me confused for the first portion of this book. Before reading this book, I had never read any or watched any of the Jessica Jones tv series. I cannot attest to the true history of the details added into this book, so I wish she could have elaborated more into the powers. This book was interesting, but felt like it took quite long to get to the ending.

I've watched most of the Marvel Movies, and a good handful of the series, but one of them I never watched was Jessica Jones. To be completely honest, I really only picked this one up because it was written by Lisa Jewell, and I always love her books. I'm not sure if I cared too much about it being a Jessica Jones novel, but thought I'd give it a shot.
And boy am I glad I did. Though the beginning felt a bit slow and sluggish taken over with a weird "am I pregnant, am I not pregnant" story line, it picked up with the case she was working on and from then on I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed Jewell's take on a Marvel character, and can't wait to see what she's got up her sleeve next!
**Thank you NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.**

I enjoyed this! So full of twists and turns! Not my favourite LJ book but I was entertained the entire time!!

If you love the Jessica Jones and Luke Cage series on Netflix, you need to read this book. Lisa Jewell does the characters justice in this first book in the Marvel Crime Novel series. Jessica still doesn't have her life together, but she is trying. She is seeing Luke casually, and still working as a private investigator. She takes a case involving twins who return from their summer vacation seeming a little too "perfect". With supernatural aspects, Jessica must uncover a centuries-old mystery and how it connects to real life beauty filters. I gave this book 4.25 stars and hope to continue the series.

I’m very confused by this piece of work. The advanced reader’s copy from NetGalley has a publication year of 2025, and yet the publication year on Goodreads is 2024. Written by Lisa Jewell (I love her other novels), is based on a Marvel comic book hero who first appeared in 1980. There is also a Jessica Jones tv series 2015-2019. I find it difficult to determine the purpose of this book. It mentions a lot of scenes that happened before the start of this book’s plot. The writing is incredibly juvenile and reads like a debt novel. There are too many themes: a private derisive mystery, magic, the supernatural, standards of beauty, super heroes. I wish it was just a detective novel or that I hadn’t even read it.

I DNF'd this one. I tried 3-4 times to sit down and read, and I really wanted to get invested in this as Lisa Jewell is one of my favorite authors, but I just couldn't get into it. Not my style unfortunately.
Thank you for the advanced copy!

i really was not a fan of this book, or at least not as much as i wanted to be. i've loved lisa jewell's other books, this one just fell flat for me. i had high hopes for this book bc i love marvel & mystery so i was hopeful that this would be an amazing book, but i just really didn't enjoy it much.